Carnival...

The carnival in Salvador was nothing like I expected…

Usually when you hear about carnival in Brazil, you think of the one in Rio.
Little did I know that there was more than just one carnival in Brazil.

I was expecting a large scale parade with girls in sparkling costumes on grand floats, dancing the samba and covered in bright coloured feathers, putting on a performance that had been rehearsed for months, perfectly choreographed to Brazilian music and lots of people on street watching the procession.

The carnival I did get to experience was a lot different. I would be the centre of the attraction, me and many other partygoers on the streets, in camarotes and everywhere. All of us dancing and singing to more traditional Brazilian songs, behind the trucks that had singers, dancers, instrument players giving us a show never to be forgotten.

Carnival in Salvador, is one of the largest street parties in the world, with up to 1.3 million people out there on any of the four days in happens.

There were these big rooms called “Camarotes” made of three of four stages with different kinds of food (sushi, Brazilian food, fruits covered with chocolate…), each floor had a view to the street so you were able to see what was going on in the streets. Inside, you could listen to more Brazilian music, dance, eat, drink exotic cocktails, and get your feet massaged when tired from all the dancing.
The camarotes are like the VIP of VIP areas, and for almost every minute you are well taken care of, all the while partying without getting into the crowds on the streets. The vibe is always amazing too.

We went to two different “camarotes” one called Espresso 2222 and Nana Banana, I liked Nana Banana more, because the Smirnoff lounge was in front of the beach. You were able to hear Brazilian music in front of the beach or dance on the sand and chill out there with your friends and the beautiful sky full of shining stars.

To get into the Camarote you needed a special T-shirt. Each day was a different colour, and this was how the bouncers would recognise that you were part of a certain camarote. On the day that we were going to be on the street as part of the parade, we also got a certain coloured T-shirt. We were also warned to take care of these, because in a way this was your ticket to the fun, if it got lost or misplaced it was like losing a ticket to a concert. The same rules applied.

For me the most original and exciting thing was that you could customize your T-shirts and make it your own style. Some were sexy, some were plain, some were outrageous, basically a way to reflect your personality. The Smirnoff organisers had hired seamstresses to customize your T-shirts in whatever way you wished -either a template design or something you came up with yourself. I preferred to customize them by myself as I have always enjoyed experimenting with my own clothing items.

After a long transit from chilly Shanghai to sunny Salvador, I was always the first to wake up and greet the morning sun with happiness. The heat was never uncomfortable and I loved the vitamin D!

The hotel we were staying at was also the home for several groups of people from all over, the biggest group being the South African team with 25 people.
We had this beautiful rooftop swimming pool with view of some of the city and most importantly an uninterrupted view of the deep blue calm ocean. My daytime was spent taking in some sun and drinking coconut water and just enjoying the warmth with the Smirnoff Ten team…

Mornings were also a nice surprise for me, the breakfasts were amazing, with a lot of fresh fruits and juices and a wide selection of breads and teas. I love all food that’s good for the body. Especially when you are in Brazil where almost everyone seems like a model, you have to try and at least feel good about your own body if you don’t want be depressed when seeing these gorgeous Brazilians in action.
During the meals, we would get entertainment, which was truly Brazilian, boys and girls dancing the samba for us. I definitely concentrated during these little shows so that I could show my skills later at the parties.

The Smirnoff organisers had a lot of things for us to do, day trips to see the city, shopping excursions and my very favourite was the traditional Brazilian barbeque lunch, which was at a “Churrascaria”
In this restaurant waiters come by every few minutes with different kinds of meat and serve you a healthy portion. With the juicy meat we had a wide selection of salad bar and more surprising was the sushi den. Yummy.
It was delicious and the company was even better, because the Smirnoff Ten were joined by the huge South African group; crew from MTV Africa, Smirnoff Spin competition winners and the coordinators. We were a big group of Smirnoff people and MTV Africa having a fabulous lunch with lots of laughs and great conversation…these guys were awesome and extremely funny. Would love to hang out with them more.

Carnival was an amazing experience and I will never forget it.
The time has ended though and the Smirnoff Ten need rest. Now the island of Morro de Sao Paolo is waiting for me…

Next stop, sun, sea and relaxation. PARADISE!!!!!